1. don't be scared.2. this is way to general! What do you want to know?

The subway system can be intimidating, but you should buy one of the little fold up maps when you get here (you can probably even get one at the airport. Also, google maps will give you subway/bus info. If you have a smart phone with google maps you can look up everything on there. Otherwise look up where you need to go on google maps or hopstop.com at your hotel before leaving for the day. And write down directions to get back to your hotel, too.

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not a bad idea at all. unless it's laguardia. then you have to take a bus, which is still fine. which airport?

you can't know everything. if you have some specific questions i'm sure people will be happy to answer you. But you'll be fine. You might go the wrong way a few times or miss your stop, but it's no big deal. just make sure you plan enough time to get places. Depending on where you're staying, plan on a half hour to 45 minutes to get places. unless you're staying in queens or some parts of brooklyn, then you should plan an hour.

use hopstop.com and google maps. they will help you a lot.

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And google maps has an option to search for directions by public transit. I use it all the time.

Don't be scared! It's sometimes an aggravating system, but rarely a scary one.

As far as airports - from JFK you can take the airtran and then either take the A, E, or J trains to Manhattan. These are pretty long subway rides (1 hour or so). You can also take the airtran and then take the Long Island Railroad to either Penn station in Manhattan or Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. This is a much shorter trip and usually what I do. I think tickets are between $5 and $10, depending on whether you're going peak or off peak.

From Newark, you can take a New Jersey Transit train to Penn Station.

LaGuardia is the toughest, but there is the M60 bus.

Edit: d'oh.. IJDI already mentioned the Google maps. But it's such a useful feature I'll leave it in my post.

If you're going into downtown Manhattan from LGA, you can spend (I think) $2.50 to take the M60 bus along Astoria Blvd. bus to the stop at 31st St. for transfers to the N, 125th & Lexington for the 4/5/6, 125th & Lenox for the 2/3, or 125th & St. Nicholas for the A/C/D (the first stop is in Astoria, Queens; the last 3 stops are in Harlem, Manhattan)...or you can spend the same $2.50 and take the Q33 or Q47 to their terminus, the 74th Street bus stop in Jackson Heights, and walk a short distance to transfer to the 7 or E/F/R...or you can spend $12 and take a one-way shuttle bus direct to Grand Central Station.After many years of being too cheap to take the shuttle, I am now a NYAS devotee. fork a bunch of transfers while I'm hauling around a giant backpack. If you'd prefer to do the bus/subway thing, I highly recommend getting off at 125th and Lex for the 4/5/6 because it will, if you so desire, spit you out right at Grand Central or Union Station, from which you can find basically any public transit route to anywhere.

What else... oh! "Houston," as in Houston Street, is pronounced HOW-stun, not HUE-stun.There are many, many fun things to do around the 2nd Ave F stop.VP2 is DIRECTLY adjacent to the W 4th Street/Washington Square A/C/E stop.If you need a place to drink heavily while listening to excellent tunes, catch the L to 1st Ave, walk half a block east on 14th and turn right on Avenue A, and walk about 3 blocks to go to HiFi, the best bar in the history of ever.And if you're going to be raging until the wee hours and you need to take the F train someplace, please note that it only runs twice every 600,000 years after, like, 10:30 PM.

Hopstop Mobile is also really helpful; it will text you subway and bus directions!

Hey, cool! In that case, I second Stephanie's recommendation to try New York Air Service. They can drop you right at Port Authority (8th and 42nd) which is probably blocks away from where you'll be in Times Square.

And somewhere on the NYC forum, there's a midtown food thread if you're looking for places to eat.

Don't be scared!My first time to NYC was the first time I traveled completely on my own (without someone picking me up from an airport) and I just decided I'd figure it out when I got there. Google maps and a subway brochure got me from LaGuardia to Manhattan no problem via bus and subway transfer.

The subway is pretty darn safe these days. The map is indeed, byzantine. Don't forget to check signs for changes in service on the weekend - everything is seemingly under construction on Sat & Sun (okay, I exaggerate) but there are always alot of delays and changes. And most importantly, New Yorkers truly love to give subway directions. I'm not kidding. If you ask someone on the subway the best way to get from X to Y they will go out of their way to explain, as will everyone within earshot.